Personalised driving with Jaguar's 'intelligent car concept'

Dubai, July 11, 2014

Researchers at Jaguar Land Rover have developed an intelligent self-learning vehicle that will offer a completely personalised driving experience and help prevent accidents by reducting driver distraction.

The car will offer an array of services to the driver, with a new learning algorithm that recognises who is in the car and learns their preferences and driving style, using the latest machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques.

The software then applies this learning by using a range of variable including the calendar, the time of day, traffic conditions and weather to predict driver behaviour and take over many of the daily driving ‘chores’, allowing the driver to concentrate on the road ahead.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of Research and Technology for Jaguar Land Rover, said:

“The aim of our self-learning technology is to minimise driver distraction, which will help reduce the risk of accidents. Presenting the driver with information just at the right time whilst driving will reduce both cognitive distraction and the need for the driver to look away from the road to scroll through phone lists, or adjust mirrors, temperature or seat functions while on the road.

“Up until now most self-learning car research has only focussed on traffic or navigation prediction. We want to take this a significant step further and our new learning algorithm means information learnt about you will deliver a completely personalised driving experience and enhance driving pleasure.”

The intelligent car will recognise the driver by the smartphone or other device in their pocket and by the time the driver has opened the car door, the mirrors, steering wheel and seat settings will all be set to the individual’s preferences. The cabin will be pre-set to the desired temperature – and be intelligent enough to change it if it is snowing or raining.

It will feature a ‘Smart Assistant’, which will also review the driver’s schedule for the day and pre-set the navigation depending on traffic conditions to avoid congestion. It will also predict the next destination based on the schedule.

The car will also know when the driver is going to the gym and will have learnt the temperature preference on the way there to warm-up and a different temperatiure to cool down while returning. If the massage function is used at a particular time or location on a journey, the car will be able to predict this as well.

It will also recognised every passenger and offer each their own preferred infotainment options, while the ‘Smart Assistant’ will review the calendar and remind by sending a note to the driver’s smartphone - to collect the children’s sport kit as it knows the person is going to their sports day.

The car can also predict to make a phone call at a certain time or on a particular journey and will offer also to email or call ahead if the driver is going to be late for their next appointment.

The self-learning car will also be able to learn an individual’s driving style in a range of traffic conditions and on different types of road. When the driver activates Auto Adaptive Cruise Control (AACC) the car will be able to apply these learned distance settings and acceleration profiles and apply them to automated cruise control.

“By developing a learning function for Adaptive Cruise Control, it is technology concepts like the self-learning car that will ensure any future intelligent car remains fun and rewarding to drive as we move closer to more autonomous driving over the next 10 years,” added Dr Epple.

“This is important because in the future customers will still want an emotional connection and a thrilling drive - with the ability to drive autonomously when required.”